Automatically releasable ski binding



July 12, 1960 NASHE 2,944,828

AUTOMATICALLY RELEASABLE SKI BINDING Filed June 23, 1958 will',

AUTOMATICALLY RELEASABLE SKI BINDING Leif Nashe, West Concord, Mas-s., assigner to Dovre Ski Binding, Inc., West Concord, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed .lune 23, 1958, Ser. No. 743,927

3 Claims. (Cl. 280-11.35)

This invention relates to ski bindings of the type employing a pivoted clamping lever for clamping a boot to a ski together with means holding the lever in clamping position and automatically releasing the lever if and when -undue strain is place on the boot holding means. Such release means heretofore known have employed resiliently actuated releasing means combined with the clamping lever. My invention contemplates a simplified and less expensive releasing means mounted on the heel ,cable and adapted to function directly with a ski binding of the nature shown in Patent 2,276,252 and thus add the releasable safety feature thereto. The production of simplilied safety mechanism of this nature comprises the primary object of the invention.

The invention `furthermore contemplates a novel heel engaging cable unit embodying a forward portion for connection to a clamping lever actuated link, a rear heel engaging portion carrying a hook for engaging and holding the clamping lever in closed position, and resilient means so connecting such portions that the hook automatically releases the lever by riding off its free end when undue strain is placed on the boot holding cable. The production of novel mechanism of this nature com-prises Ia further object of the invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a ski binding embodying the invention and mounted on a ski,

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view,

Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is a view taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

In the drawing indicates a base plate fixed to a ski 12 by screws 14. A clamping lever 15 is pivoted at 16 to arms 18 in turn pivoted to the base plate at 20. A cable engaging link 21 provided with a hook 22 is pivotally connected to the forward end of the clamping lever at 24.

Cooperating with the clamping lever mechanism is a heel engaging unit embodying a forward U-shaped rod portion 26 adapted to engage the hook 22, a rear heel engaging cable 28 and two coiled tension springs 30. lIhe forward portion 26 is connected to the forward ends of the springs as illustrated in Fig. l and the cable ends are connected to the rear ends of the springs by collet connections at 32. The cable is adapted to be engaged about the heel of a boot 34 when the clamping lever 15 is in the raised position shown in broken lines shown in Fig. 2 and movement of the lever downwardly and rearwardly to the full line position draws the toe plate 36 of the boot into tight contact with the toe abutment member 38 secured to the ski. A guard plate 40 is mounted on the ski forwardly of the abutment member 38.

My invention herein contemplates a simple unit 42,

attached "to the cable ends, for engaging the clamping lever and holding it in the full line closed position of Fig. 2 and automatically releasing the lever if and when undue strain is placed on the cable. The unit `comprises a support 44 having two oppositely disposed arms 46 adapted to be secured to the ends of the cable as indicated in Fig. 3. A threaded bolt 48 extends through upright portions 49 and 50 of the support and carries a head 52 provided with detents 54 adapted to engage in cooperating notches in the upright 49. A knurled shell 56 is fixed non-rotatably to the other end of the bolt and carries a compression spring 58 therein engaging against the upright 50. The spring normally holds the bolt longitudinally in the position of Fig. 4 wherein the detents hold the bolt against rotation. Pushing the shell 56 and bolt forwardly will release the detents whereupon the shell and bolt can be rotated.

A hook 60 carried in threaded engagement on the bolt 48 is positioned to engage over the free end of the lever 15 and hold it in boot clamping position. A spring 62 coiled about the bolt and having its ends engaging the hook and the support 44 normally pivots the hook forwardly to the lever holding position. The hook is so inclined at 64 that the quick engagement of the lever therewith automatically opens the hook which is thereupon snapped into the lever holding position by the spring 62. A tail 66 on the hook limits its forward movement to the position illustrated in Fig. 5.

It is believed that the construction and operation of the invention will now be apparent. When the cable is in position about the heel of the boot, closing of the lever tightens the cable. The springs 30 provide resiliency thereto. As the ylever is snapped to closed position the hook 60 is automatically forced rearwardly and then snaps into holding engagement with the lever. If and when undue strain is placed on the cable the support 44 together with the hook 60 is moved rearwardly, and riding of the hook o the free end of the lever releases the lever which thereupon snaps to open position and frees the boot. The position of the hook 60 and thus the point of release can be adjusted by rotating the bolt 48. A rubber bumper 68 is provided on the base plate 10 for absorbing the rebound of the clamping lever.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. In a releasable ski binding, a heel engaging cable unit comprising two coiled tension springs in laterally spaced and substantially parallel relation, a U-shaped heel engaging cable connected lat its ends to the rear ends of said springs respectively, Imeans connecting the front ends of the springs and adapted to be connected to a cable tensioning mechanism including a lever pivoted to the ski on an axis extending transversely across the ski and having a free end portion extending rearwardly of said axis, a bar mounted at its ends respectively on and connecting said ends of the cable, and a hook pivotally mounted on the bar intermediately between the springs for movement about an axis substantially parallel with the springs, said hook being adapted to pivot over said free end of the lever to a position holding the lever in cable tensioning position.

2. The combination deiined in claim 1 plus a plate integral with and extending forwardly from the bar intermediately between the springs, and a threaded bolt supported at its ends respectively on the bar and the remote end of said plate, said hook being threaded to and pivotally movable on and about the bolt.

3. The combination defined in claim 2 plus a head on the bolt, a spring on and normally holding the bolt in predetermined position longitudinally, and means including va detent on the head for holding the bolt against rotation when in said predetermined position, movement of Vthe bolt 'longitudinally in a `direction compressing the 2,383,064 last named spring serving to disengage the detent and V2,742,299 permit rotation of the bolt. 2,747,885

References Cited inl therle'of'this vpatent 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS` 89,803

2,276,252 Nash@ et a1 Mar. 1o, 1942 4 Y Lanz Aug. 21, 1945 Voster Apr. 417, 1956 RehaeekV May 29, 1956 FOREGN PATENTS Norway Aug. 12, 1957 (Corresponding U.S. 2,858,138, dated Oct. 28, 1958) 

